About Missing Bean
How can studying film in Australia lead to the establishment of a roastery and now several cafes? Ori Halup, the founder of the English roastery Missing Bean, will answer this perhaps meaningless question with his story. During his studies in Australia, he fell in love with coffee, and after arriving in the United Kingdom, he decided to fully immerse himself in the world of coffee. It was 2009 when he and Vicky Troth opened the first cafe on Turl Street. 5 years later, this couple starts their first roastery, thanks to which today we can discover new flavors in every cup of Missing Bean coffee. But their journey does not end there. The Missing Bean team are determined to go further afield, opening more cafes and bakeries in Oxford and the surrounding towns.
The main actors of this roastery say about themselves: "We are a small team that oversees everything from sourcing raw materials to roasting, working with wholesale customers to preparing the perfect coffee for our customers." All of their coffee comes from the highest organic and ethical standards.
Ori Halup - founder and managing director
Ori is one half of the founding members of Missing Beans. He first got into coffee while studying film in Sydney. Australia was at the forefront of the third wave of coffee culture and completely changed everything he knew about coffee. When he moved to the UK and missed good coffee and a cafe hit, he imagined opening a small cafe and keeping it running while he worked on his film career. He had no idea how deeply the coffee bug had hit him. 14 years later, it still pays to get out of bed to find, roast and serve the best coffee he can get his hands on. He created and nurtures the ever-growing Missing Bean family. Emphasis is placed on developing mutually beneficial relationships. Whether it is direct trade with distant farms or with the nearest team members. Origin and fair treatment come first. Along with a good mood. There were some rough moments along the way, but he wouldn't change it for the world!
Vicky Troth - Founder and Art Director
Vicky is the other half of the founding members of Missing Bean. Her view of coffee changed after arriving in Sydney, where she studied. She was used to well-intentioned but poorly prepared coffee shops and believed that she simply didn't like coffee. That changed when she first tasted a flat white in Oz. After returning to the UK, it was hard to find good coffee outside of London. Setting up a coffee shop in her hometown of Oxford felt like the right move for her while she embarked on a film career. She hoped it would provide her with an income (and tasty coffee) before she had much work to do on the film! 11 years later, she works full-time on the film and does most of the graphic design for Bean. She is rightfully proud of the company she helped shape and develop. It's definitely a real community, which was the intention in the first place.
Olly Wilkins - Roastery Manager and Head of Marketing
Without Olly, Missing Bean wouldn't be what it is, he's the heart and soul of the roastery. Here's what he had to say: "Missing Bean is part of Oxford and I'm honored to be a part of the team. I've always liked the friendly, local nature of things and at the same time thinking of wider contexts and our impact on things on a national and global scale."We are constantly learning, adapting and evolving, which is why working for MB is so interesting and exciting. I'm proud to have been a part of it over the last few years and I can't wait to see where we go next!"
Direct trade with coffee (Direct trade)
At Missing Bean, they pride themselves on sourcing coffee beans from direct trade whenever possible, but what do we mean when we say 'trade coffee beans'? The answer is simple. Direct Trade coffee beans come directly from farmers and cut out any intermediaries. They buy these coffees at prices that are at least 15% higher than fair trade prices - and in most cases almost 100% higher. They prefer direct relationships with farmers because they have better feedback on the quality of the coffee and see how money is invested in the growing process, and most importantly see the well-being of the farmer.
At the same time, in Missing Bean, the values stand for:
- Ethical production - direct partnership with farmers means they can ensure sustainable production and adherence to ethical working practices.
- Better coffees - direct communication with farmers gives them greater options in obtaining beans and thus allows access to unique coffees.
- Fair wages - buying direct means that farmers receive 100% of the cost of their goods, resulting in a price that is often much higher than the fair trade price.
- Sustainable production - all their coffee comes from the highest ecological and ethical standards.